(AP) -- SAN ANTONIO, Texas (AP) -- A federal judge has sentenced a South Texas man to seven years in prison for taking part in a scheme to illegally buy firearms.

Santiago Munoz was sentenced during a court hearing Friday in San Antonio after he had previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to make a false statement in a federal firearms record and two counts of providing a firearm to a prohibited person.

Prosecutors say Munoz, from Rio Grande City, admitted that from August 2006 until February 2007, he conspired with others to fraudulently purchase about 220 firearms at gun shows in San Antonio and Austin.

Investigators say the 50-year-old was a straw purchaser, a person who buys guns for other individuals.

So-called "straw purchases" are commonly used to funnel weapons to Mexico's drug cartels.

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